No Man's Land
by Rhiannon Be
Summary: Emily Fields feels like things could be worse, she has food, a good pair of shoes and group she's been traveling with have become like her family. How perfect can life be when zombies are all around you?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is a fic I had up around a year ago but took it down due to not being able to really work on it. I've recently found some time and inspiration so here it is again. The chapters are a little smaller than I usually write but hopefully you'll all still like it. As always, thanks for reading.**

* * *

Screaming and the sound of blood, it was everywhere, all around her. She clambered in the dark for a gun, with her hands shaking she held it out in front of her. Sitting on the floor with her back against the wall she pointed it in the direction of the door. Moments passed or was it hours? The screaming had stopped, the smell now sickly sweet. She listened out for the sound of her father's voice, he always called out to her when there had been an attack, to make sure she was okay, to let her now they were okay.

There was only silence.

Her arms were numb from holding them up and she tried resting them on her knees, still clutching the small pistol. The dark orange light of early morning had begun to soak up the darkness and she knew she had to move.

"Dad?" She called out softly as she slowly stood up.

"Dad is it okay to come out?...Mum?" She listened but the only response heard was a shuffling sound. Her blood ran cold as the sound slowly crept forward, with it a inhuman gurgle.

She swallowed hard to keep the acid rising from her stomach, they had never been in this far before.

Wiping the sweat from her palms she gripped the pistol, it wasn't the first time she'd used it, she could do this.

Quietly walking to the door she listened, the shuffling still inching closer but it only sounded like one.

She winced as the door knob creaked as she turned it slowly, pointing the gun out of the room. In an instant there was a loud groan and the shuffling became stumbling steps. Locating the movement she pointed the gun directly at the corpse now shambling towards her, aiming just like her father had taught her. Tears burning her eyes as she looked into her mother's eyes and squeezed the trigger.

Emily sprang up from where she had been sleeping, eyes wide and the sound of a gun ringing in her ears. A trickle of sweat ran down her neck as she tried to regain her breath, her eyes flicked around the room trying to find something familiar. Someone knelt beside her.

"Emily, you're good now". He didn't reach out to touch her, not yet.

Emily stared at him and began to feel calm again, she knew that face.

"Thanks Sam" She ran her hand through her hair while letting out a deep breath.

"Anytime girl" He gave her a small smile and rubbed her arm before leaving her side.

Emily stood up and went to the only window in the room not boarded up.

The dreams had started the day her parents were killed, some nights were okay and she didn't dream at all , others were filled with the memory of their death.

It was three years since an unknown infection had spread throughout the world, causing the dead to walk and attack anything with a heartbeat. The Government, media and leading medical researchers had offered no explanation of the disease as it rapidly devoured cities. Within days all communication was down leaving people isolated and defenceless.

Emily had been with her family at their holiday cabin when her Father had burst through the front door, covered in blood. The cabin had been a good place to hold out and they had managed to survive for another two years, living off what they foraged and killed in the surrounding woodlands. Her Father a trained military officer was the sole reason for their long survival and he had taught her everything he knew.

A year had passed since the day Emily had found her family dead, torn to pieces. Pointing the gun at her Mother had been instinct, pulling the trigger before any thoughts held her back but it was the sight of her Father, or what was left of him that still turned her stomach and made her head spin.

She wrapped her arms around herself as the cold morning air chilled her. Looking over to the man who had just been at her side she silently thanked him. Sam had come across her cabin all those years ago. He had thought it was abandoned and a good spot to rest until a young brunette girl had pressed a gun to his head.

After convincing her he meant no harm she had let him sleep in an empty room, locking herself away every night. Eventually they began to trust each other and when Sam had announced he would be moving on a few months later Emily left with him. He was a tall man in his late thirties with light blue eyes and sandy coloured hair, his pale skin now lightly sprinkled with freckles from spending so much time in the sun.

He had been a university professor before the infection, teaching Popular Culture, rendering most of his knowledge useless unless someone needed a quick movie quote. However his skills at organising people had become useful over the year as three others joined their group.

Camden and Bryce were twins and despite sharing the same short brown hair and muscular builds they were as different as day and night. Emily and Sam had come across them while searching a gun shop for supplies. Camden was loud and full of bravado but it was clear he and his quiet brother were scared and starving. It didn't take much for them to follow the teachers lead.

Eve was a little younger than the boys at twenty one, her dark hair and skin matching her demeanour. She had been found sheltering in a school bus, frightened and barely speaking. She had definitely found her voice quickly but remained moody, she had also found comfort in Camden's bed just as fast.

The rising sun shone in her eyes and she turned from the window. They had been resting in an empty house and today they were moving on. At first they had moved from place to place without thought but Emily had mentioned wanting to check on an Uncle's house in the area, it was a few days travel. The others had agreed without question, having a destination had made them feel less lost, even if it were for only a short time.

She rolled up her flat camp bed and tucked her pistol into the holster at her side.

"Sam, I think we need to find somewhere to wash up soon" She pulled at her black singlet and looked down at her dark blue jeans as she scrunched her nose up "I won't be able to hide from the Creeps if they can smell me a mile away!"

"They'll probably mistake you for one of them, I can smell you from here" Camden joked as he pulled a shirt over his head.

"Oh and you smell so much better" Emily rolled her eyes as she pointed to the numerous stains on his shirt.

They all rolled up their beds and moved to where Sam had been waiting in the kitchen. There was a back pack on the floor next to him out of which he pulled two cans of food. Emily and Eve chose the corn to share while the twins gulped down diced carrots. Sam never ate anything in the morning and the others had given up on trying to fight him on it.

As he slung the bag over his shoulder Emily noticed it was with more ease than usual, their supplies were running low.

Moving through the streets was easier than it was in the past, the most populated areas were the most deserted, it seemed the more people there had been the quicker they had killed each other.

Gruesome scenes played out on lawns, large bodies covering smaller ones, families hanging from trees and blood splattered across garage doors. Most of them were just skin and bones by now and the group barely noticed, the eyes scanning for any sign of life or food. They remained silent as they travelled, the Creeps, a nickname given to the dead, were extremely sensitive to sound and it only took one to move for more to follow.

Holding up his hand Sam gestured for the group to stop, he pointed towards a house to the left. Emily looked it over, noticing the solar panels peaking over the guttering of the roof. They moved up the driveway and glancing in a dusty window of the garage she noticed a car was till parked in there, this was a good sign. It meant there was a good chance the people living in the house had never left and had possibly tried to stockpile some supplies.

It was a white two story house with large windows that had been boarded up covering most of the ground level. They stood in single file as Sam tried the front door, it was locked, another good sign. Eve pulled a small pouch from her pocket and began to work the lock with the tools inside it, in a few seconds the locked popped and the door clicked open. As they entered the house a well practised routine fell into place, their backs to each other, guns out and scanning the room. Sam let out a small whistle hoping to tempt out any Creepers hiding within the house. When they were confident it was clear they began looking for anything useful, Sam keeping watch at the bottom of the stairs leading to the second level.

Emily was searching the kitchen when she noticed a board on the small window had been pulled off, looking though she noticed a large rain water tank and two large dirt piles in the yard. She knew the sight well, they were the makeshift graves made by family and friends for their loved ones and they dotted almost every place they had been. She had done the same for her parents. Turning away from the empty kitchen and her thoughts she stood beside Sam, the others soon followed.

The stairs creaked loudly as they moved upwards, if there had been any Creeps they would have moved towards it. The stairs lead to a hallway, three doors on one side and two on the other. The first room was filled with furniture and boxes of various household items, it was stacked up so much there was only room for one person to stand in the doorway, it was obvious this stuff was useless.

The others went to the other rooms while Emily entered the room at the end of the hall and she instantly noticed it was different, it was cleaner and she could smell food. It wasn't the smell of rotten food she was use to and her mouth began to water. Checking around the room from the door she assumed it had belonged to someone close to her age. There was a high double bed in the middle and a dresser to the side, posters of once famous people and bands hung on the wall along with some photos. Dust had settled on almost every surface but something about the bed didn't seem right, it looked neat and clean like someone had recently made it.

Emily quietly lifted her gun and and slowly stepped around to the other side of the bed. The source of the food smell becoming apparent as she moved her feet around freshly opened spaghetti tins. Forcing herself to ignore the ache in her stomach she stepped around to the side of the bed, her breath catching as a pair of dark brown eyes stared widely back at her.

It was a girl, around the same age as Emily and she was pressed against the dresser clutching her arms around herself, clearly terrified. Emily put the gun back in her holster and kneeled on the floor in front of the girl.

"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you, it's okay" She kept her voice low.

The girl looked to Emily's gun then back up to her, deciding she was no threat she put her hands on the floor and sat up.

Emily gestured to the room "Is this your house?"

The girl nodded and Emily smiled.

"It's nice...is there anyone else here?"

The girl looked to the floor as she shook her head "No, not anymore".

Emily moved closer and was almost touching the girl when Camden came through the doorway.

"Emily, you have to see this, we found food!"

The girl was frightened and moved behind Emily as she stood up. Emily put her hands out to stop Camden coming in any further.

"Whoa Cam, hang on a sec, we've got someone here" She turned and gave a reassuring look to the girl "It's okay, he's a friend".

"Hey there, are you okay?" He stepped back a little.

The girl stood up "Yes, I'm okay..."

"So uh, I guess it's your food we found?" He looked more than disappointed.

The girl nodded.

"I guess I should go tell Sam to stop picking out the good stuff then" He turned and walked down the hall.

Emily turned to the girl.

"I'm sorry we broke into your house, I'm sure Eve can fix the lock to make it secure again".

"How many are in your group?"

"Five, we've been together for just over a year" Emily looked around the room "We should really get out of here..."

The girl grabbed her arm as she turned to leave the room.

"No please don't go" The girl became embarrassed at the desperation in her voice and pulled her hand away "I mean, there's enough food if you want to stay the night".

Emily knew then this girl must be either crazy or lonely because no one ever invited strangers to stay and eat their food. However she was not going to pass up the chance to have something other then canned vegetables.

"Okay, thank you...what's your name?"

The girl looked shyly to the floor "Paige".

Emily glanced over the girl who was wearing light denim jeans and a tight fitting white shirt. The shirt had mud smeared all over the front and Paige's hands were also covered in dirt. Emily felt empathy towards her as she realised she had been the one who dug the graves out the back and it must have been recently.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to the rest of us"

Paige followed Emily out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: For anyone who may have read this when I had it up previously, this chapter and the next have been edited and changed a little from the originals so re-reading might be beneficial.** **Thanks for reading, let me know if you're enjoying it or not :)**

* * *

At first Emily thought it was water she was wading in, it was too dark to see and the more she pushed forward the thicker it became. She called out but her voice sounded like a whisper, she breathed more air in to call out louder but her lungs only filled with a putrid stench. Gagging she stumbled against a wall, her hands sliding over its moist surface. She began crying, she felt lost.

A familiar voice called her name and she turned towards it as the room suddenly filled with light. It was blood, everywhere, she had been wading through it, surrounded by it, covered in it. Something was clawing at her leg but she was to frightened to look down.

"Dad please, where are you?" Her voice sounded like a little girls.

A gurgle came from the thing at her feet and she looked down to see her Father, his hands grabbing at her pants as he tried to pull the top half of his body towards her, intestines and blood oozing behind him.

"Here Emily, I'm right here, where you left me."

* * *

"Emily! Hey wake up girl" Sam was shaking Emily's leg trying to wake her from her restless sleep.

She sat up abruptly and pushed his hand away as her frantic eyes searched the room. After a few seconds she took a deep breath and looked towards him.

"Thanks" She smiled weakly and noticed Paige standing behind him, looking concerned.

"Uh sorry, I'm a bit of a drama queen in the morning."

Paige knelt beside her and handed over a bowl of baked beans.

"I got these for you, it's the last tin." She smiled.

"The last tin? Are you sure?" Emily's stomach was feeling a little less demanding after their meal last night but it still let out a large growl at her hesitation.

Paige laughed and handed over a spoon.

Eve called across the room "You'd better enjoy it, Paige almost cut off my hand off when I tried eating them."

"I did not, I just put them aside for you." Paige blushed.

"Well thanks, it's been a while since I was given breakfast in bed." This caused Paige to blush even more and look away. Emily glanced over her face, she was pretty. Her light brown eyes catching the morning light while the the blush tinted her clear skin and her shy smile...Emily quickly looked away as Paige turned backed towards her.

Clearing her throat she turned her attention to the food in front of her. She noticed everyone else had already eaten and packed up their stuff, she felt guilty for being the last one up again. She scoffed down the baked beans and packed up her stuff. The others giving her a quizzical look as she let out a frustrated groan.

"I got sauce on my shirt!" She pulled at the shirt for effect "It's the second good meal I've had in weeks and I manage to get it all over myself!"

Camden slapped his leg as he laughed.

"Wow, the Creeps are going to thank you for marinating yourself for them!"

"Shut up!" She looked down sadly at the stain, it was her last shirt.

Sam shook his head "I guess we really do need to find somewhere to wash up now." They usually tried to clean up every few weeks, sometimes to tend to wounds, other times to remember they were still human.

Bryce nodded as he pulled a tattered shirt over his head and tried not to feel awkward under Eve's roving eyes. Camden put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, shooting a glare at his twin brother.

Paige stood awkwardly in the hallway as they exited the room, one arm around herself and the other at her side. She looked to the floor, not meeting anyone's eyes as they walked passed and thanked her for the food. Her clothes still dirty and Emily could only assume it was from having to bury her parents, which was over a week ago.

Emily wondered how anyone so painfully shy could have lasted this long, her parents must have really protected her. Emily slung her bag over her shoulder as she approached the girl, who seemed to be pushing herself further against the wall every second.

"Hey" Emily stood in front of her, "Are you not bringing anything with you? You should probably bring an extra shirt at least, if you have one." Emily pointed at her now stained shirt, a small joke to put the other girl at ease.

It wasn't a direct invitation but Emily could see Paige was not dealing with being by herself any more and looked a little upset at their departure. Paige slowly looked up a little surprised that someone had stopped to talk to her. She glanced to the others behind Emily then back.

"Can...can I really come with you?" she said, her arm dropping from around herself.

Emily nodded and smiled "Of course you can, if you want to grab some stuff we'll..." She stopped talking as Paige ran into her bedroom, coming out seconds later with a small back pack and a sheepish smile.

"My Dad told me to always have one packed, just in case." She shrugged looking down sadly.

Emily linked her arm in the other girls as they followed the group downstairs. She knew the others would be okay with their new addition, they were hardly an exclusive group and besides each other, Paige had been the only other person they had come across in months.

Before walking outside Paige paused at the front door and reached behind the curtains to the side, pulling out a hockey stick.

It was a steel stick, like the ones professionals use to train with. It was clear it had been used a lot, the black paint was worn thin and various dints covered the end. Paige ran her fingers over some initials that had been engraved into the handle, N.M and P.M.

Camden looked her up and down with an amused expression, "What the hell do you plan on doing with that?"

Paige looked down embarrassingly and shrugged.

Emily glared as she shoved him towards the stairs, Sam was already waiting at the bottom.

"Come on guys, let's get moving, Paige, welcome to the club".

Paige closed the front door and paused for a second, Emily placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, do you need a minute? We could go through the back yard if you'd like." Emily referred to the fresh graves but Paige shook her head.

"No, my parents aren't here any more," She glanced up and added, "But thank you," Before looking away again.

"Paige is there any water around here?" Sam called from below them.

A small crinkle formed between her eyebrows while she thought, "Uh, yeah, there's a park with a big pond in it, about two hours from here."

Sam pursed his lips, a park wasn't the most ideal place but I would have to do.

"Point the way".

* * *

Paige had been almost spot on with how long it took to get to the park. The day was clear and they were able to avoid any Creepers easily.

Emily had been walking at the back of the group with the rest to the front and side, creating a sort of barrier around their new member while she got use to travelling.

As they entered the park entrance Sam signalled for them to stop. Paige was of course, unaware what it meant and continued walking straight into the back of Bryce, causing his bag to fall off his shoulder and hit the ground with a thud. In the past the noise would have been lost amongst all the other sounds of the park, but this park was empty and open, the bag had some canned food in it and when it hit the cement walk way it echoed through out the park. Everyone froze, waiting for a sign they'd been heard. When there was no response after a few minutes they all let out a collective sigh of relief and turned to Paige.

She was staring at the ground with her head low, "I'm sorry" she whispered.

Sam picked up the bag and handed it back to Bryce, "It's okay, I should have told you the signal but you really should keep your head up when we're moving."

She nodded and lifted her head but did not look at anyone. Emily felt empathy towards Paige but knew it was for her own good, you really had to learn fast out here. As they moved towards the water Emily took in her surroundings, it was a typical park, with paths, benches and gardens, now overgrown. It was like the ones you see on the brochures when a new suburb opened up. She could imagine Paige growing up here, sheltered away from the rest of the ugly world.

Camden's voice broke her thoughts "Okay, let's get naked!" He grabbed at Eve's shirt causing her to let out a squeal. Emily rolled her eyes and looked to Paige who was watching the display with an unreadable expression.

"Don't worry, he's just and idiot" Emily put her bag down and walked to the other girl.

Paige copied her, putting her bag in the ground but kept hold of the hockey stick, "Your voices, they're all so quite."

"What do you mean?"

Paige gestured to the wrestling pair, "Even when you're messing around, I mean, she just kinda squealed but it wasn't normal, it was controlled."

Emily nodded "Yeah, otherwise we'll draw attention."

The crinkle on Paige's forehead returned and Emily grabbed her arm.

"Hey it's okay, you'll get use to it and we'll help you."

They were interrupted by Sam and Bryce who had been checking the area.

"Hey girls, it's all good so far, you can bathe first," Sam added his bag to the growing pile.

"Bathe?" Paige questioned.

Emily looked to the water and back.

Paige's grip grew tighter on the hockey stick "Oh."

The boys sat a few feet away from the waters edge with their backs to the girls who were now undressing, except for Paige. Eve dropped the last of her clothing on the ground and slowly walked into the water, moaning as she entered.

"Oh my god, it's warm!," She dunked her head and came back up rubbing her hands over her body to clean herself.

Unlike the other girl Emily kept her underwear on as she sunk into the water.

"You don't have to come in Paige but this'll be the last time in a while before we have water like this," The sun was glowing behind her, reflecting and warming the water. Emily flipped her hair to one side and began running her fingers through it.

Paige was still for a moment, transfixed by the sight, until deciding to strip to her underwear and join them. Emily watched her, trying not to stare. The other girl's body was toned and it was obvious she had kept in shape even when locked up in her house. Paige kept her hands over the tops of her thighs as she entered and stopped when the water reached her elbows. Eve was lost in her own world, floating on her back and staring into the clear sky while the other girls tried to keep their stolen glances at each other minimal.

Emily laughed at herself as she watched Paige leave the water, her eyes roaming over her shapely back. She wasn't ashamed of her sexual orientation but she was going to have to get her libido under control before she scared the shy girl away.

"Please stop drooling in my bath water," Eve said from behind her.

"Ugh, it's easy for you, you have Cam," Emily said before also leaving the water.

Paige was already dressed, she wore a black shirt with a small pocket on the front and jeans. Emily had to tear her eyes away when the other girl leaned over to lace up her boots. She peeled off her wet underwear while everyone's back was turned and quickly slipped into some dry ones. After pulling on her jeans she groaned as she pulled her dirty shit over her head.

"It feels wrong to put this on after that,"

Paige turned and handed her a clean shirt, "Here, I got this for you".

Emily's face lit up "No way...really?".

The shy girl nodded "Yeah, I knew you needed a clean one so I got an extra," She looked to the ground "Uh, I was going to get one for Eve but she's...well a little bigger.." The girls nose crinkled as she struggled with how to finish the sentence.

"Yeah her boobs are huge". Emily laughed as the other girls face grew pink. She pulled her shirt over her head and slipped the clean dark blue one on. She lifted it to her nose and took a deep breath.

"Mmmm clean clothes!" She noticed Paige glancing at her now bare stomach as she held the shirt up, "Do you like it?"

Paige snapped her eyes up to the brunette's face "Uh..what?" She swallowed nervously.

"The smell of clean clothes," Emily grinned.

Paige's face was pink again as she nodded unable to speak.

"Are you girls finished yet?" Camden called over his shoulder.

Emily smoothed her shirt back down, "Yeah, Paige and I are out but I think you've got a while before Eve is."

Camden stood, pulled his shirt over his head and began unbuttoning his pants.

"You girls might want to look away!"

Paige and Emily both swung around in the opposite direction while Sam and Bryce joined him.

"Eve, you have to get out now, we're getting in," Sam called softly.

"No way, I'm staying in," She answered.

"I'd prefer if there were three of you on watch" He called back.

"Aw come on Sammy, this place is empty and they'll be fine right girls?" Camden asked Emily and Paige.

"Yes! Just don't come any closer!" Emily covered her eyes from the side as he approached them.

He laughed and splashed into the water, chasing after Eve, Bryce following him. Sam hesitated for a few seconds, then decided it was safe enough and entered himself.

Paige sat down, turning the hockey stick over in her hands.

"Did you play?" Emily asked sitting next to her.

Paige ran her fingers over the engraved initials once again.

"Not really, it's my Dads...was my Dads."

"P.M, is that you?" Paige nodded "And N.M would be your Dad?" Paige nodded again.

"He gave this to me, before everything happened and I've been training with it everyday since, to keep my mind off..stuff." Paige was still looking over the stick, her hair falling to cover her face.

"I get that," Emily replied "I use to be on a swim team but sometimes I'd just swim to get away, like nothing could touch me while I was in the water."

"I use to swim to..." Paige was still looking down but looked up as Emily reached over and tucked her fallen hair behind her ear.

In that moment Emily realised it was the first time Paige had made real eye contact with anyone and that her eyes were the most deepest brown she'd ever seen.

The moment was shattered when Paige's eyes grew wide and focused on something behind Emily. There was a rustling and a wet gurgle sound seconds before Paige was on her feet and swinging her hockey stick in it's direction. The Creepers neck snapped on impact and Paige swung again, effectively removing it's head from it's shoulders.

A second corpse stepped out from the bushes and before Emily was on her feet Paige thrust her stick into it's chest, sending it backwards. She stood over the top of it and slammed the stick into it's head making a sickening crunch as it caved in.

Paige turned to Emily, chest heaving and breathless, "Are you okay?"

Emily was stunned at how fast the other girl had reacted.

"Paige...yes I'm fine," She could hear the others splashing out of the water towards them.

"Holy shit! That was awesome!" Camden said in disbelief.

Sam was looking through the bushes to check for more threats "Is everyone okay? I knew we should have had three on watch." He came out of the grass.

"Ha, we hardly need three if that's how Paige rolls. Fucking Creepers." Camden nudged the corpse on the ground with his foot.

"Nice one Paige." Bryce smiled at her.

Paige nodded before quickly turning away from the group blushing. While most of the group and remained in their underwear Camden had not.

He laughed "Seriously? You just decapitated two Creepers without fear but you can't look at a naked guy?".

It was obvious the shy girl was uncomfortable as she dug in the dirt with her boot.

"Come on, let's finish up and find somewhere safe while our clothes dry." Sam moved back to the water, where Eve was still standing.

"When you said you trained everyday you didn't mean actual hockey did you?" Emily moved closer to the other girl.

Paige shook her head no.

"Well, I'd probably be Creeper meat otherwise, so thanks" Emily shrugged and Paige looked up.

"You don't have to thank me...but can you tell me one thing?" Paige wore an impish grin and Emily felt her stomach flip at how adorable it was.

"Can you tell me why you call them Creepers? I mean, it's obvious they're zombies right?"

And Emily laughed like she hadn't in a long time.


	3. Chapter 3

Emily shivered as she felt the warmness slowly leave her body, being replaced by a wet coldness and she fought to open her eyes as she felt it creep up her legs. She tried to call out as her eyes refused to open and her body felt tied down. She knew what is was, the chilling wetness that now climbed over her stomach, she could smell it, it was the same as when she had found her father in pieces. Now it was coming for her, draining everything, taking all of her. It was inevitable wasn't it?

It had started the day she looked at her Mother through the sight of a gun, the coldness, the numbness. She should just give in, she felt tired, tired of fighting, it was so cold. It was lapping at her face now, she didn't need to see it, she could hear it.

"Emily." Not her Father this time.

"Emily." Not her Mother.

Suddenly a bolt of fear ran through her, was there someone else in here? She struggled with the unseen force keeping her down, she had to get them out, no one else should end up like them. Not this time.

"Emily!" The wet thing was pulled off her as the voice came through louder. Her eyes were no longer heavy as she slowly opened them, expecting to see it waiting for her.

Paige was kneeling beside her bedroll, shaking her awake.

"Emily, please wake up." She said in a panic.

"Paige?" Emily tried to clear the fogginess from her mind.

The other girl sat back on her heels and breathed in relief.

"Finally...are you okay? I think you were dreaming again."

Emily lifted herself up on her elbows and looked around. They had decided to stay in the park over night and placed their bedrolls around a small fire. She seemed to have moved away from the fire during her sleep and managed to be laying completely off her bed.

"Here, move over a bit." Paige lent over her and dragged the blankets back over her. "You must be freezing."

Emily sat up and pulled the blankets around her, she was cold. The dream flashed in her mind and she closed her eyes, feeling unsettled.

"Are you okay?" Paige asked concerned.

Emily didn't answer for a moment, looking around at the people still sleeping around them.

"Are any of us okay?" It wasn't really a question but she didn't know what else to say, her dream had left her feeling apathetic.

Paige frowned, unsure what to say.

"I'm sorry." Emily said after a few minutes "You've probably figured out by now that I don't sleep very well."

The other girl nodded a slight frown still on her face.

Emily shifted back onto her bed. "Thanks for waking me..." She felt like Paige wanted to say something as she looked at the other girl.

Paige stood up. "Uh yeah, sure." She looked nervous. "Will you be okay to get back to sleep?"

Emily looked to the sky, the early morning light was beginning to show.

"I'll probably stay up now, maybe have some hot water." She shrugged.

Paige nodded and shifted her weight as she looked to her own bed roll across from Emily. Bryce had placed his beside her. It looked like the last thing she wanted to do was go back to it. Emily moved over a little onto her bed. "Do you want to sit with me? The others won't be up for another hour or so and Sam will be on watch till then." Paige looked relieved and sat next to Emily, smiling shyly as the dark haired girl placed half of the blanket over her shoulders.

"I'm sorry if I woke you up." Emily offered as she leant over and placed a saucepan of water on a brace over the fire. "I know I say weird stuff when I'm dreaming."

Paige shook her head "I was already awake."

Emily looked at the other girl, it was clear something was on her mind.

"Hey, I know you're probably feeling a little out of place but you can talk to me if you need to." Emily offered.

Paige stared a the flames in thought before speaking.

"When you dream, is it about your parents?"

Emily nodded and Paige turned to her.

"Do you see them and hear their voices?" Her voice broke a little and it was obvious she was trying to keep her emotions in check.

"Kind of, I hear them sometimes." Emily felt uncomfortable talking about her dreams, she'd never shared with anyone their true content.

A pained expression crossed over Paige's face as she turned back to the flames. Unsure of what the other girl was thinking Emily took her hand in her own and held it. Paige glanced down at their hands in surprise and then for the second time this morning made Emily's stomach flutter with her shy smile.

"Thanks...I guess I think too much when I can't sleep." Paige shrugged.

Emily unwillingly unclasped their hands to pull the saucepan off the fire.

"You can't sleep and some nights I don't want to sleep, maybe we should swap notes sometime." Emily said lightening the mood and as she spoke a loud snore sounded from the other side of the fire.

"Or maybe you should just keep your bed roll next to me." Emily said seriously before they both laughed quietly.

For the next hour they sat in comfortable silence, sipping the boiled water and watching the sky change colour. They both sat with their legs crossed and facing the fire and had shuffled closer to share the blanket. Emily was aware her knee was resting on the other girls leg and smiled to herself at how comfortable it felt.

Morning had fully reached the sky as the others began to wake up. Yawns ad sighs could be heard along with a few curses at the sun.

"I'll never get use to waking up with the sun in my face, it's like, not natural you know?" Camden said as he stood up and stretched.

Eve pulled the blanket over her head. "Wake me up when the bacon and eggs are ready." She said from under the covers.

"Oh babe, don't even joke about that." Camden said as he pulled a shirt over his head and rubbed his stomach. "What do we have left to eat?"

He opened up the bag of food and pulled out some minute noodles.

"Nice! Thanks for the food stash Maddog." He nodded to Paige as he prepared the noodles to boil in the saucepan, using enough for everyone to eat.

Paige gave him a quizzical look at the name he had just used and Emily looked bemused.

"Maddog?" She asked.

Camden looked up from his task. "Yeah, after she took down that creeper I decided it suited her." He wiggled his eyebrows at Paige who blushed.

The camp site remained quite as they ate until they heard a familiar whistle from the trees and footsteps making their way towards them. It was Sam, the person on watch always sent a signal they were returning to the others, so the sound of them approaching wasn't met with fear. As he came into view Paige immediately stood up and handed her cup back to Emily.

"Thanks." She said quietly, not looking at the other girl. She quickly made her way back to her own bedroll and started packing it up. Emily was a little confused at the sudden change in her demeanor but guessed it was because she was still settling in to the routine. Sam sat next to Bryce who handed him a mug of noodles.

"Noodles!" He said excitedly and looked as if he had just been served a plate of his favourite meal.

After a few mouthfuls and looked around at the others, his expression now sombre.

"I don't think we should move today guys, I think we're going to get rain again."

"It's been months since it rained last!" Camden argued.

"Yeah I know, I just don't like the look of the clouds coming over, I haven't seen any like that for a while and I don't want to risk getting stuck out here again."

The others were quite but nodded in agreement. They had come to trust in Sam's judgement on things like this.

It had been almost 6 months exactly since the last rain and they had been caught off guard by it. It wasn't a normal downfall when it rained, it was hard and heavy and continued for eight days, making it impossible to move safely.

"I know this sucks but we're going to have to move into one of the houses near by, hopefully we can find one that's already been boarded up."

"That does suck." Eve said as she began packing up with the others.

* * *

They formed a straight line as they moved down the street. Dead leaves littered the pavement and crunched under their feet causing everyone to be tense with each step.

"That one." Sam gestured to a small ground level house across the road. The windows had all been boarded up but the front door had been pried open. It really was the perfect house to stay in, no verandahs or fancy décor for anyone or anything to climb onto and a tall fence that stopped at the mid section of the house.

The three creepers shuffling about on the front lawn we not so perfect. As they crossed the street he signalled Paige and Bryce to stand and guard their backs as they approached.

"Hey." He said loud enough for them to hear but not so his voice carried any further.

The creepers turned at the sound and began moving rapidly towards him, focused on nothing else they were unaware as Emily, Camden and Eve moved around behind them. With a sharp swing of his baseball bat Camden dropped the first corpse to the ground and Eve rapidly moved close enough to slam down a large bladed knife into its soft skull. They quickly turned to the next Creeper and manoeuvred to do the same as Camden got it's attention by tapping his bat on the ground.

As that happened Sam readied his own bat as the third shambled towards him but as Emily moved in from behind her foot found a dry leaf that crackled loudly as she stepped. The creeper swung around, it's arms reaching out and its fingers grasping hold of Emily's shirt.

She fell backwards from the weight and cried out as a sharp pain shot down her back. Sam dropped his bat as grabbed hold of the corpse, holding it back so its gnashing teeth couldn't reach her.

Paige head Emily cry out and within seconds was standing above her. The Creeper was fresher than most she had seen, bits of dark red flesh still clung to its bones. Paige noticed a large wound on the side of its neck, it went so far in she could see the vertebrae bones grinding together as it bared down on Emily. She also noticed most of the connections were either missing or so mashed up it all just slid around on each other.

She braced her feet and took a deep breath as she swung her hockey stick as high as she could, releasing her breath and putting all the force she could muster into the down swing. She felt her body jar as it connected with her target and sickening crack was heard as the Creepers neck bones shattered away from each other. A small splash of brown muck splattered on her pants as the flesh also gave way and the corpse's head was sent flying into the neighboring yard. The body went limp and Sam threw it aside as he hastily helped Emily stand up.

"What the fuck?" Camden said as he watched the rotting head fly over them. He pulled the knife from the corpse underneath him and turned to the others.

Bryce was still standing on the side walk, almost frozen and Emily and Sam stood in front of Paige, who was standing with her stick still in the air.

"Fucking Maddog!" He said as he walked over and slapped her on the back.

Paige ignored him as she stepped closer to Emily.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

Emily nodded but was clearly shaken.

Paige looked to Sam with a fierce expression.

"Next time **you** can stand guard."

They stood there for a moment, Paige staring him down while he tried to figure out how to respond.

When it started to become awkward Eve cleared her throat. "Uh, let's get inside guys, those clouds are moving in fast".

Paige looked to the house then back to Sam before stepping aside to let him past. She put her arm around Emily and followed the rest of the group. After they had cleared the small house a search for supplies begun. Sam cleared out the dusty fireplace in the lounge room while everyone else rummaged through cupboards and draws.

"Pretty sure this place got hit a long time ago." Camden said while holding up a rusty tin can.

Bryce agreed after finding nothing in the other three bedrooms.

Sam stood and dusted off his pants. "I'm going to get some firewood while it's still dry, Eve you can come with me while the rest of you secure any loose boards on the windows and doors."

He took some rope out of his bag and left with Eve behind him. Paige was testing the strength of some boards on a front window when Emily stood beside her.

"So, thank you, again." The dark haired girl offered, wondering why she felt nervous.

Paige shrugged. "You don't have to thank me." She briefly looked up from her task.

"Okay but I just wanted to say it." Emily felt like she was being brushed off and looked to the floor in disappointment.

Paige sighed as she gave up on the internal struggle going on inside her head and turned to Emily.

"You don't have to thank me but you should be more careful, I don't want you to get hurt, I don't even want to see you almost getting hurt." She made a face like she was thinking. "In fact I don't think you should go out at all unless its only with me." A smile crept onto her face as she watched Emily trying to figure out if she was being serious or not.

Emily felt those familiar flutter in her stomach and smiled back.

"Just with you? I think I can deal with that."

Now it was Paige's turn to look at the floor but this time it wasn't in disappointment as her face coloured.

_Are we flirting? _Emily wondered. She was still trying to figure out how Paige interacted with everyone but felt like she already knew this girl. Things felt easy and comfortable with her.

"To be honest I'm a little embarrassed, I've never been so off game, no ones ever had to save me before, I'm usually the focused one of the group."

"Maybe you're dreams are affecting you more than you think, I mean, you might be sleeping but your mind kinda isn't." Paige offered and Emily nodded, she hadn't thought about it like that.

"Hey Emily can you come here for a second?" Camden called from another room, shattering the moment.

_Damn you!_ She thought as she called back "Yeah be there in a sec."

She looked back to Paige, "I better go, he's probably got his hand stuck in a jar or something." She smiled as Paige laughed.

"We'll talk later, I mean...if you want to?" Emily said hopefully.

Paige nodded "I'd like to."

Emily smiled again and felt like she was dragging herself away from the other girl as she left.

A few minutes later Paige found herself with someone else standing beside her.

"Hey." Bryce said as he approached.

"Hi." She replied.

He bounced the palm of his hands against his legs and looked around the room. A crinkle formed on Paige's forehead as she watched him.

"Uh, so it's suppose to rain tonight." He said sounding rushed.

Paige frowned "Yes, I know." She watch his hands moving about, making Bryce aware of what he was doing. He stopped abruptly and folded his arms.

"Yeah...do you like the rain?" She shifted his weight and it was painfully obvious he was trying to seem casual. Obvious to people other than Paige who was now totally confused.

"I guess." She offered and shrugged a little.

"Oh me to!" He said back almost before Paige had finished speaking. He looked to the floor with a horrified expression when we realised his response made no sense.

Paige's eyebrows lifted and she looked around the room as she tried to figure out what was going on.

Bryce finally looked up and squared his shoulders back "Paige, would you like to talk with me later, just me and you?"

The crinkle was back on her forehead "About the rain?"

"Uh sure, yeah, anything you like." He seemed to perk up a little and smiled.

"I've already made plans to hang out with Emily tonight, so you can join to us if you like." She returned the smile and turned back to the boards on the window.

"Oh right, Emily. Yeah cool." The smile faded from his face as he walked away.

As they waited for Sam and Eve to return the rest of the group made themselves comfortable in the lounge room where they had spread out their bed rolls. It wasn't a large space and was almost square in shape. The old three seater lounge was decayed beyond use but served as a leaning spot. Which is where Paige and Emily were sitting with their backs leaning against the dusty chair.

Bryce sat to their left a few feet away and Camden leant against the wall opposite them. The rain had started to fall and was in full force by the time Eve and Sam entered the house. A large bundle of wood wrapped in plastic under each other their arms. They walked to the fire place, dumped their cargo and shook off their wet clothes. Camden stood and wrapped a blanket around Eve, rubbing it over her arms. She was not as wet as Sam was.

"I'm going to change into my spare shirt, see if you can get that fire started guys." He went into another room with his bag.

Bryce jumped up and grabbed the bag of supplies, finding a box of matches and some scrap cloth.

Within in a few minutes he had the fire started and as the flames grew larger over the wood he turned and smiled at Paige. Paige returned the smile while Emily looked between them with an curious expression. Emily looked just in time to see Camden giving Bryce the thumbs up sign, which he quickly stopped as he met her eyes. She began to say something but he cut her off.

"Lets play Truth!" Camden said as he sat back down and pulled Eve between his legs.

Sam stuck his head into the room at the same time.

"Can you wait five minutes until I'm asleep?" He said as he got onto his bed located directly in front of the door in the hallway. He pulled the blankets up and turned away from the group.

Even with the fire starting up there was still a crisp chill to the air and Paige shivered while rubbing her arms. Both Bryce and Emily grabbed their blankets in response, both glancing at each other as they did so.

"Paige..." He called to the girl watching Emily unfold her blanket but before he could finish Emily wrapped it around her own and the other girls shoulders, causing them to shuffle close together.

"Hmm?" She answered, a content look on her face as she settled in.

"Um, that rain is pretty bad." He tried to think of something else to say.

Paige nodded and tilted her head to the side as she looked at him. Bryce glanced to his bother who rolled his eyes. He pulled his own blanket around him and became silent.

"Okay, so who's up for Truth?" The bolder brother asked again.

The group groaned.

"The last time we played that all you wanted to know was dirty stuff." Eve complained as she lay beside him and rested her head on his lap.

"Uh yeah, that's the whole point!" He laughed.

"Count me out." Bryce said somberly.

Camden looked to the two girls, Paige was already shaking her head and Emily was yawning.

"Aw c'mon!" He said pleadingly.

"Why don't you just keep talking so you can put us all to sleep." Bryce voiced while still staring at the fire. Everyone looked to him in shock, not use to the quiet boy being so out spoken.

"Jeez, everyone is so happy tonight. I just thought we could play and get to know our new member a little better." He looked to Paige.

Paige stiffened a little under the scrutiny of everyone now looking at her and Emily felt it. Shifting a little closer so her leg was resting on the other girls once again, she rested her head on her shoulder and linked their arms under the blanket. She felt Paige relax and lean into her, using the lounge as support.

"Leave Paige alone, she's not ready for your inappropriate questions just yet." Emily said.

"I promise they won't be inappropriate." Camden responded with an impish grin.

Emily gave him a disbelieving look.

"Ugh fine, I give up, you're all boring." He resigned and positioned himself on the floor behind Eve, who was already asleep.

Paige knew she could probably stay up for a while longer but deep breathing coming from the girl leaning against her told her everyone else was use to a normal sleeping pattern.

"Do you want to lay down? You seem kinda sleepy." She said to Emily, not brave enough to completely turn her head and face the other girl at the distance their faces were.

Emily nodded and lifted her head as Paige got to her knees and place the blanket over her. Paige had placed her bed right next to Emily and lay down facing the ceiling. She felt a tug on her blanket and turned to the other girl.

"Come close again, it's cold." Emily said in a whisper.

Paige wiggled across until she felt the other girl's warmth on her side.

As she lay there, trying to keep her heart from beating so much she was sure everyone would hear it, Camden called across the room in s sleepy voice.

"First question, what's your last name?"

"McCullers." She whispered back.

A small breath of air could be heard as he laughed quietly.

"Maddog McCullers, that's fucking awesome." He replied.


End file.
